


Lit by the Flame

by From_Time_Within



Series: Lit by the Flame [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: All former members of the Levi Squad are alive, Angst, Bottom Eren Yeager, Eren Yeager Has Long Hair, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifters, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8363743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/From_Time_Within/pseuds/From_Time_Within
Summary: Titans can't be trusted to help us. No matter which way you look at them, they'll tear us apart.Those were the last words Levi ever said before he met them.(Will be working on the Summary later)Note: Chapter Updates will be slow.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise if any characters are ooc. I haven't written fanfiction in a while, and I just finished watching SnK.  
> I got this idea from other works that I've read. Also, Levi is 26 in this.

Moans and growls echoed through the forest as the Titans searched for their prey. Some fought over the remains of the unfortunate soldiers while others sniffed the ground. Above them in the safety of the trees hid a small group of scouts that included one woman and four men. They cringed and turned away from the monsters as one of them began to upchuck its fill of humans.

"That's disgusting." The woman gagged. "Can we go home now?"

One of the men, short with black hair, sheathed his blades and pulled up his hood. "No. We still need to get a Titan. Erwin wants us to catch one." He turned his head slightly to look at the other three men. "Oluo, you and Petra will hunt down a titan in the north part of the forest. Gunther and Eld, you two will hunt in the south part."

"What about you, Captain?" One of the men, who had been referred to as Eld, asked the short man. "Don't worry about me." He told them.The four others quickly left without a word, leaving the captain behind. Taking a deep breath, he jumped off the branch he was standing on and began to fly through the forest with his 3dm gear. He searched for a titan that he could catch without a problem. In a matter of minutes, he saw a small titan in the ten-meter class sniffing around. He landed on a branch and looked down at the monster. He waited for it to bend down before he leaped down, drawing his blades. However, to his surprise, the Titan stood and turned, raising its arm. The man was quick to react, but the Titan seemed to be quicker. He let out a grunt as the Titan's hand hit him, sending him towards the trees. He watched the Titan with wide eyes as the world around him slowed down. He felt his back collide with what he thought was a tree. His eyes shut closed as he felt pain on his shoulders.

_**This is it.**_ He told himself. _**Eaten by a Titan**._ He waited, expecting to feel the Titan lift him up. Instead, he felt his body shake. His eyes snapped open as he realized he was in a large hand. Looking up, he stared at a Titan, whose eyes were teal-green, and brown hair that just reached his shoulders. It had no lips, and its ears were pointed. He watched the Titan as it roared at the other, holding the Captain high up in the air. The smaller Titan roared in return and charged them, only to be kicked in the side of the face. It fell to the ground, and before it could move, the Titan holding the man stomped on its nape several times before lowering the shocked man. It looked him straight in the eyes before lowering him to the ground. He grunted as he slipped off the hand of the Titan.

"Captain!" He heard Petra call.

The Titan let out a growl before it turned and ran, disappearing into the forest.

"Captain Levi! Are you alright?" Oluo asked him.

Levi shook his head before looking at his squad. "I'm all right." He told them before he stood up.

**_What the hell was that thing?_** He asked himself. He frowned as he glanced at the decomposing Titan. _**It wasn't any abnormal...** _ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. **_No. Titans can't be trusted to help us. No matter which way you look at them, they'll tear us apart._**

* * *

Levi halted his horse outside of the former headquarters for the scouts. He dismounted, leading his mount to the stable. Once he was finished caring for the horse, he walked towards the castle. He followed Petra, Eld, Oluo and Gunther inside before hearing a high pitched call.

"Levi! Did you bring me back a Titan?" A tall woman with glasses squealed as she bounded over to the short man.

He waited for the others to be out of earshot before he began to speak. "No, but I do have something that you'll want to hear."

Her eyes widened, and she began to jump up and down. "What is it? Does it have something to do with an abnormal?" She asked.

"Quiet, shitty four-eyes, and I'll tell you." He growled.

She smiled, waiting for him to begin telling her about whatever he had to say to her.

"I was going to catch a Titan for you, but it seemed to know I was going to attack it. I thought I was dead until I saw _It._ " He lowered his head as the image of the Titan flashed in his mind. "It was an abnormal. It had caught me before I hit a tree, and it seemed to be protecting me from the other Titan. After it had killed the other Titan, it looked at me and put me down before running off."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Can you take me to it?"

"I don't know where it went to, Hange." He replied, closing his eyes.

"Then we put ourselves in danger!"

"We what?" He opened his eyes, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Well, it seemed to know you were in trouble. So, if we get a Titan to attack us, it should surely come out!"

"So what you're saying is that we lure it out?" He asked her.

"Exactly! Come on!" Hange smiled as she walked away.

Levi couldn't help but smirk as he followed her.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Hange set out to find the abnormal, only to come across something different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it's short. I'll work on it tonight.  
> (The school doesn't have grammarly, so I'm sorry for any errors.

It had been a few hours since the appearance  of the abnormal that had saved Levi from death. The man had his doubts that they would find it, and would end up coming across a hungry titan. He was confident that a titan would hear them, due to Hange's excitement and high-pitched laughter.

"A titan will hear us if you don't shut up, four-eyes." He growled as they galloped into the forest.

Hange looked over her shoulder, giving him one of her crazy 'I'm going to get a Titan' smiles. "Oh, don't worry, Levi! If a Titan comes, I'm sure that your new friend will come and save us!"

He scuffed, looking ahead. "Let's just get this over with. It's getting late."

Hange nodded. However, the smile never left her lips.

They entered the forest, and the aroma of decaying flesh lingered in the air. Levi covered his face with his hand and coughed.

"That smell is disgusting." He grumbled to himself.They galloped along the path, heading towards the area where the abnormal first appeared. The fallen trees and trampled ground had marked where it had gone. However, when they arrived at the scene where the fallen titan was, neither of the two could tell which path was freshly made or old. The once dead Titan was gone with most of its bones missing.

 ** _What happened here?_** Levi thought as he looked around.

Fallen trees were scattered everywhere on the forest floor. It made it impossible for the man to remember, better yet  _know_ where the abnormal disappeared off too. He frowned, watching as a group of Titans stomped around the area.

"Levi, look up there!" Hange whispered as she pointed up at the trees across from them.

Levi gave her an odd look before looking up at the trees. His eyes widened as he noticed a group of teens, four at least, standing on a large branch. They seemed to be discussing something, and they occasionally glanced down at the Titans. He noted that one of the teens was tall with brown hair, almost like the abnormal. Finally, after some time, the teens turned and disappeared into the trees.

Levi let out a growl before he shot off his horse with his 3dm gear, followed by a confused Hange.

"Levi! Where are we going?" She called.

"Shut it, shity four-eyes!" He snapped as they followed the teens.

 ** _Are they using 3dm gear like us?_** He asked himself. He narrowed his eyes as one of the members of the group looked at them and shouted something.

 "Damn it." He growled before looking at Hange. "Don't let them out of your sights! They may have valuable information."

He heard the woman reply with an "Okie dokie" before they shot off after the teenagers.

Suddenly, the group went separate ways, disappearing within the forest. Raising his hand, Levi signaled Hange to follow the two teens that went to the right. He didn't wait for a response as he quickly tracked down the other two. By the time he found them, he realized that one of them was the brunette from before, and the other was a blonde male. He narrowed his eyes as he closed in on the two. He grabbed the leg of the brunette, earning a cry of fear and surprise as they both fell towards the ground.

Grunting, Levi used his 3dm gear to save both himself and the brunette from hitting the ground. He stumbled as his feet touched the ground. He let go of the teen before turning to face him.

"What the hell?" The brunette snapped.

Levi noted that the teen was a boy, at least fifteen.

"Where did you learn to use that." Levi asked as he crossed his arms.

"Use what?" The boy asked, his eyebrows raising.

"The 3dm gear. Who taught you to use it." He asked again.

The blonde landed beside the taller male. "We taught ourselves, sir."

"Armin, what are you doing? We don't know him!" The other growled.

"He isn't attacking, is he?" The boy, who Levi had come to the conclusion was Armin, replied.

"I don't mean you any harm. It's just that there has been no reports of people living outside the wall." Levi told them.

"Wait, you guys live behind that big wall the Titans keep trying to enter?" Armin asked.

"That's right." Levi nodded. "So, how are you two able to survive out here?"

The brunette looked at Armin before sighing. closing his eyes. "We live in a village surrounded by dead trees and large boulders."

Levi nodded before looking at the blonde. "So, where is this village?"

The two boys hesitated before looking at each other.

"As long as you say nothing to anyone, we'll show you." The brunette said.

Levi nodded and the three quickly shot off into the trees. They were soon joined by Hange and the other two teens.

"Are they taking us to that abnormal?" She asked the man.

Levi shook his head. "No. They're taking us to their village. We just can't tell anyone what we saw."

Hange nodded, however the look in her eyes was pure confusion.

They followed the group towards a wall of trees and stones. Behind the makeshift wall was a small town. Behind it was a lake with a few houses along side it. On the other side of the lake was a small stable and a few fields with a small group of horses, each one of them stolen from the military.

The group landed inside of the protected village. Hange smiled as she looked around, excitement building up inside of her.

"So, this is where you live?" Levi asked them.

Armin nodded.

"So, how do you survive out here?" Levi asked them.

The brunette rubbed his neck and took a deep breath. "We have some friends."


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> I'm sorry if this chapter's short. Once my exams are over, I should be able to get back to writing longer chapters.

The brunette rubbed his neck and took a deep breath. "We have some friends."

Levi raised an eyebrow at the tall boy, crossing his arms. "And who are these _friends_?"

"Just a few other people." A tall, blonde woman said quickly. Her hair fell over her blue eyes, hiding them from the captain's gaze.

Hange stepped towards them, grinning. Her brown eyes were wide with curiosity, much like a young child and a new object. "What are they like? Where are they from?" She suddenly gasped, grabbing the girl's hands. "Are they Titans?"

The girl struggled to form words as she was bombarded with questions. The brunette looked scared as he looked over at her. "Annie." He mumbled.

"Eren, no. I can handle this." She replied.

"We can't tell them anything! You know what will happen! Do you remember what happened to Marco?" He hissed.

The girl, who had been called Annie, stared at him before gulping. "Yes. I remember." She nodded. She turned her head towards Hange. "I think it's best if you leave. My friend doesn't do well with new people."

Levi glanced over at the brunette, Eren. He watched as he turned, his long hair falling down to the middle of his back. **_Long hair. Much like the abnormals._** He thought.

Eren's hair went past his shoulders, stopping at his shoulder blades. The ends of his hair were surprisingly the same length. Levi guessed that someone must have trimmed his hair to perfection. Just as the brunette began to walk away, Levi reached out his hand and grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling him back.

"Ow! Let go!" The boy snapped as he turned his head slightly. His hands flew to Levi's, and he clawed at the painful grip in his hair. He gasped as he was forced to turn, meeting the eyes of the shorter man.

"Teal-green eyes." The captain began softly. "Exactly like the abnormal."

Eren's eyes widened as he stared at the man. "What?" He stuttered.

"Ever heard of a Titan saving a human, boy?" He asked, tightening his grip.

"No, now let go!" Eren cried, tears gathering in his eyes. "You're hurting me!"

"Then explain to me why there's a Titan with the same eyes and hair color as you."

He froze, his eyes filling with fear. "I don't know what you're talking about." He closed his eyes and struggled to get out of Levi's hold.

With a soft growl, the captain forcefully pulled the boy back. "You seemed scared. Is there something you don't want me to know, brat?"

"Please, stop!" Armin cried as he stood back.

Levi stared at Eren for a good half minute before he let him go. He backed up a good few steps, watching the brunette rub his head.

"Come on, Eren." Annie murmured, leading the boy away from the group.

Hange frowned and stepped towards the short man. "Why did you do that? We could have gotten something from him if you hadn't of grabbed him like that."

Levi snorted. "I don't need a lecture, shitty four-eyes. Now let's go."

The woman frowned, pushing her glasses up her nose before following the captain.

The two shot off into the trees, disappearing into the darkness.

 

"I don't like them." A black haired girl mumbled. 

"I don't think any of us did, Mikasa," Armin replied. "We need to keep Eren and Annie away from those who are from the wall. If anyone finds out about them, we might all be taken away for testing."

Mikasa stiffened at the boy's words. "We all have to stay away from them."

"Yes, but Eren and Annie are the only ones who leave the village on their own. Sure, they often work together, but remember what Annie said today? Eren ran off as fast as he could the moment they heard people screaming."

"He almost got himself caught," The girl sighed. "All because he wanted to save that man."

Armin began to walk away. "I'll see if there's a way to keep him from doing that."

Mikasa nodded, watching him leave before she turned to the makeshift barrier around the village. "It doesn't matter what we do; we can't stop Eren. He's a beast that has escaped his cage." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "But we're all beasts." She opened her eyes and glanced up at the sky. "We're all Titans."


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, everyone is so ooc in this, especially Levi ;u; . I apologize about this. Hopefully he isn't too ooc, and if he is, I would appreciate any help and suggestions on how to make him better in this fanfiction.  
> Also, sorry about the wait. Took me awhile to get motivated to do this chapter.
> 
> (Please excuse the spelling and grammar errors if there are any.)

The sun slowly began to rise above the mountains, brightening up the land below. 

In the woods, two fifteen meter titans walked side by side, growling and snorting at each other.

 _"I don't get it. Why can't I go out alone anymore?"_ One of the titans asked with a soft roar. This Titan was a male, the same Titan that Levi had met before.

The Titan beside him, a female with short, blonde hair and blue eyes let out a growl, looking at him.  _"You heard what Armin said. You risk getting caught by those who live behind the wall."_

 _"But Annie-"_ The Titan sighed.

 _"No buts, Eren!"_ Annie roared, grabbing the Titan by his arms.  _"We can't lose you, and you know that! If you're caught, we'll all soon follow."_

Eren froze in her grip, his large, green eyes scanning hers. He sighed, lowering his head.

_"Fine. I'll make you a deal. You can leave the village as a titan **only** if you stay in the south part of the forest."_

The male titan shrugged her hands off, turning and walking ahead.  _"It's not the same, there. I hate seeing titans killing people for sport. The moment I hear someone being attacked, I want to save them."_

_"That's where the risk comes in."_

Eren growled, turning to face her.  _"How come it's suddenly a big issue, while for the past few years it hasn't been? Is it because of that man and woman who came to the village last night?"_ He roared.  _"Because if it is, then you're forgetting that I saved that man! If he wanted to kill me or take me away, he would have done it when he had the chance!"_ After he had finished screeching at her, he spun on his giant heels and ran off.

 _"Eren!"_ Annie roared, racing after him. Unfortunately for her, Eren had a head start and had disappeared deeper into the forest. She looked around for him, her eyes wide.  _"Damn it, Eren! Where are you?"_ She cried, slowly to a walk. She narrowed her eyes, letting out a growl.  _"How does something that size not make a sound?"_

"Annie!"

The female Titan turned upon hearing Armins voice. "Where's Eren?" He called.

The Titan only shrugged.

Armin's eyes widened as he landed on a branch. He began to pace back and forth. "This is not good. If Eren is caught, we can't help him!"

Annie raises her hand, patting the boy's head with her finger before she lifted him up into her hand. Once the blonde had gotten comfortable, the Titan began to walk forward, searching for the other Titan.

 

 

Levi flew through the air, the sound of the 3dm gear being his only company. He glanced around the forest, passing bodies of soldiers and fallen trees. What surprised him was the lack of Titans. He landed on a large branch and turned.

"That's odd." He mumbled. "Usually there's Titans around here."

He scratched his head, waiting to hear the sound of a Titan.

His head soon shot towards the direction of loud thuds. Guessing it was a Titan coming for a meal, the captain got ready, holding the handles of his blades. However, his grip soon loosened as the large beast slowed to a walk and entered the small shaded area below the trees.

"What's he doing here?" Levi asked himself before he swung down towards the brown haired Titan, the grappling hooks gripping the tree. "Oy!" He called, getting the Titans attention.

He smirked as the beast walked forward, it's long hair bouncing on its shoulders.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." He told the Titan.

A deep, rumbling sound left the throat of the Titan, sounding much like a chuckle. He placed his hand under Levi and allowed the man to drop down and sit in his palm.

"You're a strange one." The captain began. "You never try to eat me, but instead you seem to want my company."

The titan nodded, sitting on the ground. He began to write words in the earth with his long fingers.

"You can understand me, and you can write." Levi muttered, staring at the beast before reading the large letters. "I don't like eating people?" He asked, making sure he read it right. The Titan nodded, looking at the man with large green eyes.

"Well, do you have a name?"

The Titan tensed, quickly looking at the ground. After a moment, it nodded.

'"What is it, then? It'd be nice to know." The man crossed his arms, glaring at the beast.

After a moment, He began to write another word in the dirt, taking his time. Once he was finished, he slowly raised his hand.

"Eren." Levi looked down at the name written in the dirt. He gave the Titan a questioning look before sighing. "I met someone whose name was Eren."

Eren looked at Levi with the same worried looked, letting out a soft breath of smoke once the man didn't push the matter any further.

 

_"Eren!"_

The Titan quickly stood, causing Levi to fall onto his back, his head bumping the large fingers. "Oy, what are you doing?" He snapped, narrowing his eyes. Eren let out a growl, turning and running into the forest. The man turned his head, noticing a female Titan following them. "Oh, That's why." He grumbled.

Eren nodded, holding Levi close to his chest as his feet shook the ground. He noticed the edge of the forest coming up quickly, and the walls beyond the trees rising high into the sky. Narrowing his eyes, he extended his strides. He ran out and into the open fields, hearing the female Titan close behind him. Unfortunately, he didn't realize how close she was until she body checked him to the ground. He let out a cry of surprise, holding his hand out for Levi to jump off of, which, to his relief, he did.

 _"Go away, Annie!"_ He roared, feeling the other Titan pin him to the ground.

_"You're a fool, Eren! You'll get yourself killed. For disobeying Armin and running off, you're coming back to the village!"_

Levi turned from his spot on the ground, his eyes widening slightly as he watched the green-eyed beast have the nape of his neck torn off. He wanted to scream for the other one to stop, to not kill him, but once he noticed the brown haired boy from the village, his breath caught in his throat.

**_Shifter._ **

He let the realization settle before he growled, quickly going after the female Titan. The hooks from the 3dm gear quickly latched onto the trees as he chased them into the forest.


End file.
